For Immediate Release
Washington, DC (July 17, 2020)
After nearly seven years of litigation, the Little Sisters of the Poor have again won at the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania. This latest decision upholds the religious exemption crafted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that protects the Little Sisters from being forced to provide contraception and abortion in their health plan, and it should be celebrated by all who cherish religious freedom and all other civil rights. While the Christ Medicus Foundation (CMF) applauds this Supreme Court decision, we encourage Americans to remain vigilant in defending religious freedom.
Louis Brown, the Executive Director of the Christ Medicus Foundation, explains, “The contraceptive mandate which forced the Little Sisters of the Poor to violate their conscience was extremely unjust and did not advance authentic health care.” He continues, highlighting the importance of this paramount win, “The Little Sisters should be celebrated by our culture for their heroic work in service to the elderly poor, not forced to litigate for years on end to defend their inalienable rights to religious freedom and conscience. Unfortunately, the continued possibility that a future presidential administration could undo religious freedom protections in health care plans reminds us that we must be ever vigilant. A future government takeover of healthcare would reverse these protections and would be devastating for the pro-life movement. We have more work to do. We must stay focused on defending the rights of conscience and religious freedom in health care which are foundational to civil rights in our country.”
Jordan Buzza, Director of the pro-life Catholic health care ministry, CMF CURO, affirms, “This decision is a victory for religious freedom. Justice Thomas’ thoughtfully restrained opinion resolves questions about the rule-making authority of HHS under the Affordable Care Act, without directly considering the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, but it is a clear victory for the Little Sisters. We are thankful to the Supreme Court and Justice Thomas for this decision.”
Michael Vacca, Director of Ministry, Bioethics, and Member Experience for CMF CURO explains: “The Little Sisters have faced a consistent assault on their religious freedom since the inception of the contraceptive mandate. Their defense has faced numerous highs and lows, from the false accommodation offered under the Obama Administration, to their previous victory at the Supreme Court.” He concludes saying, “It is the hope of the Christ Medicus Foundation that the litigation surrounding the Little Sisters can finally end so they can continue undisturbed in their important work of caring for the elderly poor.”